(Known) Irregular Entries Are a Small Fraction of EU Migration

Despite discourse by some politicians, irregular migration accounts for just a fraction of total migration in Europe. Data from Eurostat shows that of the 4.1 million people who moved to the EU in 2023, only around ten percent were irregular migrants. Last year saw the highest number of migrant arrivals since 2014, driven almost wholly by legal migrants. Numbers of irregular migrant arrivals are still well below the levels of 2015, when the crisis of migration policy was at its peak.